The next half month was relatively quiet.
On October 15th, Pei Shiliu came to Piyong once, and left after half a day of secret talks. That night, he entered Luoyang City in a gondola and went straight to Sikong Mansion.
Sima Yue was hosting a family banquet to entertain several guests.
Present were the children of the Pei family, Pei Dun and Pei Xia, generals He Lun and Wang Bing of the East China Sea Kingdom, the princess Pei Shi, and the eldest son Sima Pi were also present.
Forget about the Pei family, He Lun and Wang Bing entered the house, which is profound.
It should be said that Sima Yue had made the two of them his confidants, otherwise he would never have let the princess and the prince come out to meet each other.
To put it bluntly, if Sima Yue encounters a disaster in the future and asks his wife to sacrifice his son, He Lun and Wang Bing will definitely be the first ones to consider.
Therefore, they were very excited and looked very respectful. They did not dare to look at it for fear of offending the nobleman.
Concubine Pei sat there with a leisurely attitude, silently listening to everyone talking.
"The governor went out on the emperor's behalf and defeated Zhang Fang. Both the east and west sides were victorious. The situation in Luoyang was really turned from danger to safety overnight." He Lun said with joy.
Although he comes from a big family, he hangs out in the military camp all year round and doesn't think deeply. He gets excited when talking about fighting.
For Master Luoyang, October is really a dreamy month.
At the Battle of Jianchun Gate at the beginning of the month, Jizhou troops and horses were severely defeated, tens of thousands were beheaded, and sixteen generals such as Ma Xian and Jia Chong were killed. The dead were piled up and the water stopped flowing. Lu Ji, Shi Chao and others fled all night, not daring to look back.
Later, the Grand Governor Sima Yi led his troops to fight in the west of the city, defeated Zhang Fang again, and beheaded more than 5,000 people.
Since September, Zhang Fang has lost more than 10,000 troops and land forces have lost 50,000 to 60,000 men. However, Wang's division only lost 10,000 men and achieved an unprecedented victory.
Of course, it is not without its worries.
The main casualties of Master Wang were the relatively elite Luoyang Central Army, rather than the temporarily recruited Sizhou Shibing and Luoyang Dingnan. No one cares about these casualties, but upon closer inspection, they may not be more than fifteen thousand. Therefore, the true balance between the two sides The battle loss ratio should be less than 1:3.
The Chinese army originally had only 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers left. Before the war, 20,000 people defected one after another, and there were only more than 30,000 left inside and outside the city. As a result, I lost one-third in one month, which is really painful.
But in order to win the war, they have to be used to death, which is difficult to do.
Thinking of this, He Lun felt a little sad. Once upon a time, Luoyang's Central Army had more than 100,000 soldiers. They were well-armored, well-trained, and powerful in combat. They suppressed the soldiers from all over the country and the barbarians on the frontiers and dared not move lightly. It has only been a few years, and the 100,000-strong army has been almost exhausted by the civil war. It has to be said to be a huge irony.
"I don't think it's that simple." Wang Bing said weakly: "The bandit army has retreated and regrouped. It seems they want to fight again."
Wang Bing is a descendant of Wang Lang and Wang Situ. He is a long-established Donghai family and cannot be compared to upstarts like the He family. Logically speaking, he should not be so weak. However, he suffered a defeat outside the city. He commanded 500 Donghai soldiers and nearly a thousand troops. Most of the state's soldiers were defeated, which became Zhang Fang's military exploits. Therefore, he really has nothing to be proud of now.
Hearing Wang Bing speak, Concubine Pei glanced at Wang Bing without any trace, with indescribable complex emotions in her heart.
When she retreated from Pan Yuan, she planned to get Mi Huang and Shao Xun's troops into the city, but she failed in the end.
This is nothing at all. Didn't Wang Bing's troops fail to enter the city?
But she sent Pei Shiliu back and forth to Piyong several times. Shao Xun's attitude was respectful, without any complaints, and he said many words of loyalty in private, which made her feel a little guilty.
When Lu Ji mobilized his army and besieged Luoyang on all sides, although she was reluctant to admit it, she was still a little worried in her heart - well, it was like a cat or dog that had been raised for a long time, it was impossible not to be emotionally devoted at all.
Fortunately, Shao Xun gave him a big surprise.
Listening to Pei Xia's words, he rode alone and beheaded the bandit general Meng Chao. Then he raised his horse with his sword drawn. Thousands of enemy soldiers stayed behind and dispersed in a flurry.
How brave and heroic this is!
When she first heard the news, she was stunned for a long time. After repeated confirmations, I finally felt relieved.
In fact, she was a little confused.
Wang Bing is also a veteran in the army. Why is the fighting so sparse that even Shao Xun, a young man, can't compare? It's really puzzling.
But when he saw Wang Bing's dejected look, he seemed to understand.
Shao Xun was really arrogant when he was arrogant, and he actually dared to look at her rudely.
Wang Bing didn't even dare to look at her, he was timid and cautious.
Perhaps, the military needs a little more courage to be fearless - this is the conclusion she came to after thinking about it.
Of course, although Wang Bing, a veteran in the military, often dared not look her in the face, Concubine Pei still felt that his gaze was a bit disgusting.
Shao Xun secretly cast his eyes on her breasts, and Concubine Pei felt that this was just a young boy Mu Ai, which seemed not so dirty and could be forgiven.
"My two brothers really didn't give up." Sima Yue's deep voice interrupted Concubine Pei's reverie.
She stood up and filled her husband's glass with wine.
Sima Yue picked up the wine bottle and said expressionlessly: "This battle still has to be fought. However, I think the governor seems to want to take advantage of the victory to negotiate peace."
"Negotiation?" He Lun was a little surprised.
After winning consecutive battles, the Hebei army fled eastward for twenty miles, and Guanzhong Zhangfang collapsed westward to the Thirteen Mile Bridge. The situation was so good, why did they still need to negotiate for peace?
"Are you afraid there's not enough food?" Pei Xia asked from the side.
Sima Yue's expression was stagnant for a short time, then he relaxed, looked at Pei Xia, and said with a smile: "Uncle Dao is really smart, and Wang Yifu has a good son-in-law. It is true that there is quite a shortage of food and grass, and the governor has a headache. I didn't know what to do, so I made two preparations. If the two kings of Chengdu and Hejian are willing to negotiate peace, they can do it. If not, they will send envoys to contact the governors of Yongliang and order them to send troops to attack Chang'an and retreat all the way first. Then contact the barbarians in Bingzhou, Youzhou and the frontier fortresses, and order them to go south to attack the rear of Ye City."
Pei Xia was thoughtful and keenly captured the complex emotions that flashed across Sima Yue's face. They seemed to include displeasure and jealousy? He didn't dare to think too much and just said: "This is a wonderful strategy and is well thought out."
Sima Yue nodded and said: "So, you must not slack off. You still need to organize your troops and recruit talents. On this occasion, a brave man who dares to fight is better than two empty talkers."
Having said this, he turned his eyes to Pei Xia again and said, "Shao Xun, whom Uncle Dao mentioned last time, is indeed the East China Sea Academy. Gu Yi didn't know he was so brave, and he was almost buried."
Concubine Pei was lecturing the eight-year-old prince in a low voice and seemed not to notice the conversation at all.
There are some things that are not beautiful if you bring them up yourself.
When Pei Xia visited the palace, Concubine Pei did not show too many emotions when she mentioned Shao Xun. Instead, she led the conversation slowly and deepened Pei Xia's impression without leaving any trace.
It is appropriate to do so.
Because in her opinion, she is recruiting talents for the family and making good friends, without any selfish motives.
Today at the family dinner, Sima Yue mentioned Shao Xun again, and it was obvious that Pei Xia had contributed.
That's good.
Having a general will give you an extra layer of security in Luoyang, which is like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den.
"That man - really powerful." Pei Xia seemed to recall the situation that day. Although it had the effect of his own drum and the influence of the frontal battlefield, it is always true to kill the enemy by beheading him, right?
Now it is no different than when Wu Shu was defeated. The elite soldiers and generals are withering badly. Whether it is the Luoyang Central Army or the soldiers from various places, the overall combat strength is declining, and the talents are almost non-existent, or in urgent need of discovery.
Sima Wanghu of the Taiwei Mansion killed sixteen enemy generals in one battle, and he was afraid that he would be able to stop children crying at night in Hebei.
Gou Xi defeated the enemy in succession in the north of the city and was also feared by the enemy.
Shao Xun defeated the army and killed the generals with bravery and heroism, which made people admire him.
But there were only a few of them, and two of the three had no family background, and one was "from a humble background", which left people speechless.
In an era when martial virtues are declining, generals are hard to find. No wonder Sikong attaches so much importance to him. What's even more amazing is that this person was born in the East China Sea, so he can naturally be trusted.
"Haha." Seeing Pei Xia's envious look, Sima Yue laughed happily: "Mi Zihui also told me about Shao Xun. He is from our country. He is only seventeen years old after the Chinese New Year. He is really young and promising."
"My husband has won a man, I am very happy to congratulate you. It's time for you to have a drink." Concubine Pei filled Sima Yue's glass of wine at the right time and said softly.
Sima Yue became even more happy, picked up the wine bottle and drank it all in one gulp.
"Husband, Shao Xun is only sixteen years old. If he is well cultivated, he can use it for decades. Not only will the husband benefit, but the prince will also benefit from it." Concubine Pei added: "The servants in the mansion heard that Shao Xun was taught civil and military skills by a god. , Isn’t it not praiseworthy from heaven to go to my husband and concubine to think about him?”
"Tianzan..." Sima Yue paused, his face slowly turning red.
God praises!
He had drunk some wine and was already a little drunk. Hearing the word "Tian Zan" seemed to hit his heart.
Is this God helping me?
Thinking of how he used to be humble and flattering, Sima Yue suddenly felt a little sad. My life is not easy!
Do you think I'm such a bitch that I have to lick my face to flatter others? He was even secretly teased by officials and officials?
Do you think I am so stupid that I have to keep changing families and be ridiculed or even looked down upon by others?
We are all sect kings, why should I be so mean?
No, not anymore!
Sima Yue shook his head subconsciously.
Concubine Pei stood up again and gently touched her shoulders, as if to comfort her.
Sima Yue was a little touched, my wife still cares about me after all.
That Shao Xun, since he is a general who has descended to earth, let's test his loyalty. If he is truly a loyal person, he may be of great use.
Sima Yue has already thought of something, which may be left to this person to do in the future.
If he can even accomplish this, then he is commendable for his loyalty and can be cultivated intensively.
